Kofi and I have spoken a few times in preparation for his appearance on The Lone Lee Show. He is a really nice guy with a great sense of humor. I played and recorded with Kofi’s dad, Ginger, in the nineties but did not meet Kofi then. The first time I met Kofi was when I saw him play with my friend Bobby Roblas in a power trio called “Buttermilk”, in a small club in Costa Mesa California. Kofi is a truly impressive drummer.

Kofi sent me a copy of his 7 song CD “Mojo Tapestry”.  He also stuck in an additional 8 song CD with no artwork and a hand-written label called “Karisma”.  Let’s do first things first with “Mojo Tapestry”.

The coolest part of of being “Lone Lee” is that I get to hear the coolest music around and have conversations with the cats that make it.  I just had to put that out there.  “Mojo Tapestry” features three players.  Kofi on drums, Brett Garsed on guitar and Ricc Fierabacci on bass.  Let’s get into a few of the tunes.

 The first cut, “Circle”, begins with a simple drum beat that draws you in with some syncopated “grace” notes on the kick. Then there is a very “singable” structure layed out by Brett and Ricc.  Layed back and pretty, in the spirit of John McLaughlin’s “Birds Of Fire”.  Then it moves into a strong, riffy and very syncopated section.  Being a three piece operation, there is plenty of space for the listener to enjoy the precision and power.  The tune goes out with the band playing full out and a screaming guitar solo.  The cool thing about it is that Kofi and Ricc hold down the rythym section with no guitar overdubs during Brett’s soloing, so the tune sounds very “Live”.

Cut two, “Tally Ho!!!” is a laid back, bit of funkiness with impressive guitar work here again.  The cool thing here again is the “live” feel on this record.  

Skipping ahead to track five.  “Mojo”,  is a happy little foot-tapper with a hip groove.  The movements within this 9 minute cut are pretty cool.  Kofi holds down the meter while at the same time speaking through his sticks with explosive fills and polyrhythms.  Great bass solo from Ricc.  The guitar wails and then falls back and hints with subdued fills of what is to come toward the end, then it builds to an unrelenting solo that carries the tune back into the lurching melody which is the basis for this tune.  It is the kind of thing that you expect to fall apart at any minute, but of course, never does.

The next tune, “Tapestry”, is a free for all delight of jazz-fusion inspired motiffs. Again, just an incredible bass solo that puts an almost human voice on the tune.  Time signature changes and virtuosity that is un-ending.

Note: I typically write these reviews as I listen to the tunes and before I ever read liner notes other than the names of the players.  That way I am not swayed by anything I may have read ahead of time.  It turns out that other than some ambient sounds, this entire album was recorded live.  Keep that in mind when you listen to this and it will kind of take your breath away.  “Mojo Tapestry” is a collection of musician’s music.

 There is a link to Kofi’s website on the Lone Lee home page. Go to it and read about his drum school, his bio and the other things he has going on. — Lone Lee

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